


Ex Vino Veritas

by misura



Category: Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)
Genre: Drunkenness, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-17
Updated: 2013-12-17
Packaged: 2018-01-04 23:33:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1086981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>William decides to get drunk. Eric decides to keep him company. More or less.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ex Vino Veritas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ladyoneill](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyoneill/gifts).



William wasn't sure why a newly crowned and recently wedded King would be seeking him out for a drink, but he was fairly sure that he wasn't in any way obliged to stick around to find out.

Thus, when Eric sat down next to him without so much as a 'by your leave', William got to his feet with every intention of leaving. He was very happy they'd won the war; he was utterly delighted to see Snow where she belonged; he was certain the land would prosper under her rule, and he had no doubt whatsoever that she'd known what she'd been doing when selecting her new husband.

(He _liked_ Eric. Eric was a great person, when he allowed himself to be. If Snow absolutely had to marry someone other than William, Eric would definitely have been William's first choice.)

The room spun.

William took one step anyway, reasoning that he was really only a little bit drunk, so once he got going, it would all turn out just fine.

The room annoyingly refused to be reasonable about its spinning.

Eric, being the nice, friendly guy that he was had gotten up again and put a steadying (and completely unnecessary) hand on William's shoulder. "Easy there."

The room proved not particularly amenable to royal commands.

William sighed and sat down once more.

 

"I had a wife, once," Eric said, and for one awful moment William thought something had happened to Snow - except that he'd have heard. The whole country would have heard.

An argument gone bad, then - probably not the disaster Eric was imagining it to be. Snow was sweet and good and pure of heart, yes, but she could also be stubborn and headstrong and annoying.

He'd have thought Eric would know about that; they'd been traveling together for quite a while, after all.

And then Eric said, "Her name was Sara," and William thought _Oh, right_ , because he had, at some point, been told that Eric was a widower, which of necessity implied a wife in his past.

"Yes," he said, instead. He didn't ask what had happened to her. It was sadly easy to guess.

"I loved her," Eric said, which did not seem to call for a response. "I would have done anything for her."

 _I know the feeling,_ William didn't say out loud. _It's how I feel about Snow._

Eric grabbed his shoulder. "Anything," he repeated. "If she'd chosen to give her love to another man and not me, I'd have respected that choice. If she'd have wished to sleep elsewhere on some nights, my love for her would not have diminished. That is what it means to love, friend William. To place another's happiness above your own."

"I - " William started. He felt vaguely embarrassed and maybe a little bit angry. He'd been plenty respectful, hadn't he? Snow had chosen, and he hadn't made a fuss. He'd simply taken his leave.

She knew he'd always think of her as a friend.

"You," Eric said, nodding as if they were agreeing on something.

"I think I may have had a bit too much to drink," William said, and as Eric pulled him upright, the room began spinning again, worse than before.

"You'll be fine," Eric said. "I'll carry you if I have to."

 

Eric took him back to the palace, which probably shouldn't have come as a surprise.

William would have objected, except that just when he'd worked up the energy to lodge a protest, Eric gently lowered him on something soft and very comfortable, and William figured he could always object later. Snow hadn't shown up yet, after all; she was probably still busy.

"Eric."

Alternately, he might simply have missed her, being quite focused on keeping his legs under him.

"My Queen," Eric said, which William thought was rather formal of him.

"What's this?" she asked, which William thought was worse than formal.

Eric seemed to feel the same way; he kept silent for a considerable time, but then he said, "Think of it as a late wedding present," which made no sense whatsoever and probably just meant that he was as drunk as William was, except that he hid it a lot better.

"William," she said.

"Yes," Eric said, by way of further proof of his inebriation. "Do you like it?"

"He - " Snow said.

"Only a little drunk." William realized he was lying on a bed. "He'll be fine." A big bed. "Just let him sleep it off." He hadn't thought the beds in the guest quarters would be this big.

"He was going home," Snow said. She sounded sad.

"He changed his mind."

_No, I didn't._

"Can I really do this?" she asked.

_Yes. Whatever 'this' is. You can do anything you want to do, Snow._

"Yes," Eric said, which wasn't quite the rousing speech William would have delivered, but he supposed they at least agreed on the central point. "Sleep on it, if you have to."

"Here?" Snow asked, and William thought, _Wait._

"It's your room," Eric said.


End file.
